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Tuberculosis infections emerge after Oxnard scare, but chance of spread seen as low

Five people have tested positive for tuberculosis infections in an investigation that started last month after exposures of the contagious disease at a middle school and fitness center in Oxnard, a public health official said Friday.

Examinations for the three other people are scheduled to determine the stage of infection. No one has reported any symptoms of the active contagious disease, meaning they could all have the latent infection, said Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County public health officer.

“Extremely low,” said Levin of the chances of further spread of a disease that can be fatal when not treated, noting that public health officials are accustomed to dealing with tuberculosis scares and identifying people at risk.

“There’s constantly cases everywhere in the world, including the United States and California and Ventura County,” he said, noting that 35 to 70 tuberculosis cases emerge each year in the county.

“Right now we're thinking one got it from the other.”

Dr. Robert Levin

The TB scare was first reported in June. Public health officials said a person diagnosed with the active disease was identified at Rio Vista Middle School in Oxnard. In the same area of Oxnard, another person with active tuberculosis visited 24 Hour Fitness at The Collection on multiple occasions between March and early June.

The two cases appear to be linked, Levin said Friday.

“One might have gotten it from the other or the two of them might have gotten it from the third party,” he said. “Right now we’re thinking one got it from the other.”

The discovery triggered concern of possible spread at the school and the gym. Last week, public health officials said an initial wave of testing showed only one positive test, for the noncontagious latent infection, at the middle school.

But additional test results showed four more positive tests from 24 Hour Fitness. Three of the people were foreign-born and likely acquired the TB infection before immigrating, Levin said.

Gym, school declared safe

TB is much more prevalent in countries other than the United States. More than 8 of 10 tuberculosis cases in California in 2016 involved people born outside the United States, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

The Oxnard exposures appear under control, Levin said.

“We don’t think there is a likelihood of ongoing transmission at the gym,” he said. “We have no evidence that anyone contagious is there.”

The school also is not at an elevated risk. The chance of exposure there is no higher than at any other school, Levin said.

Public health workers tested more than 350 people in an initial wave of testing that was still continuing as of Friday. A second wave of testing will be held eight weeks after the initial tests to make sure no new infections have developed.